


Wild west

by SkinnyElephant



Series: Short stories [12]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Cars, Character Death, Death in the Family, Guns, Not cannon gaster backstory, Original Character - Freeform, Other, Shooting, Western, before they got sent underground, how he came to be who he is, no back story for them, not my headcannon, other tags i cant think of because its been so long since i wrote this, surface family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 21:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13983693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkinnyElephant/pseuds/SkinnyElephant
Summary: Gaster watches over sans and papyrus from another relam, he remembers back to when he was young and wishes so much better for these two





	Wild west

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, okay. This was written probably a year ago. I spent a day or so on this and then when i didnt like where it was going i gave up. 
> 
> This is the only piece i believe i have that is gaster centric.
> 
> Its choppy, not really edited and jumps thoughts a lot. I didnt plan, and still dont, to continue thos or any version of this. Im not a huge gaster person so this was just a mess of words.
> 
> I do have loads of other ideas, fics and pieces saved in my drafts if you wanted to see any i can definitely look through and see what cool (or not so cool lol) things ive got saved! I think ive got one somewhere about undyne as a kid and blue getting kiddnapped and stretch rescuing him from mob people lol its crazy.

The remnants of gaster that watched this timeline took time to specifically watchout for sans and his brother Papyrus. For no other reason besides that they reminded him of himself and his own brother. Yes he forgets of his kin sometimes and others he'd wish his memory would just disappear. Terrible isn't it? To wish the memory of your own brother away, like he'd never existed . Its almost as if he hadn't , Its been so long since he lived and with gaster's whole existence gone why would his brother matter to anyone anymore?

His brother, his father and himself had long ago lived on the surface, before the barrier was sealed. His father worked with the local police as deputy, and with no mother to speak of that left him and his brother alone at home. His father, who wasn't much of a lover; more of a fighter, spent his free time at the bar in town. Every now and again he and his brother would be sent to there room and their door locked to accommodate for the lonely woman their father would bring home for the night. To call their father was a lush would be taking things lightly. Sometimes he'd come home and yank off his belt and blame things on them as the leather bit their backs, leaving marks for days. Their father yelled and blamed them for stupid things like missing a bounty or the girl at the bar turning him down. His brother would often hide him, under the bed or behind the shed. He could hear his brother’s cries for mercy and his father's calls for him to come out of hiding but he knew that if he waited until it got dark, until the town turned its lamps out, that his father would pass out and then it would be safe to tend to his brother.

His childhood wasn't terrible, though he had the most fun when his father wasn't around. He and his brother would often play games or go hunting with their knives. They never caught much, a fish here or a rabbit there. There father would be proud of them on those days and they'd celebrate with a splash of whiskey at dinner. To Gaster these few moments made the others worth living through. That and he knew he would never make it out in the real world on his own. He loved maths, numbers anything to do with learning how the world works and more. He didn't want to grow up and run a shop or become sheriff, he wanted to do something with medicines or science even! His father told him that a monster his size would never get anywhere, 'sides why be smart when you could be strong? After the loud conversation and a smack Gaster figured his father knows best so he dropped out of school to help out around the house and to let his brother continued on with his studies. His brother, being as old as he was, neared the end of his studies. Gaster saw no reason to ask him to quit just because he wanted to play school.

His brother and he played games, they played hide and seek, i spy, and the occasional manhunt when the old man stayed out in town for the night. One game they liked to play was cops and robbers.The robber would run around the back yard with a potato sack filled with clothes and rocks to represent jewels and furs. The cop would chase the robber around with the extra gun their father left laying around the house. Their father left the ammo in his safe in his room so they never worried about the gun being loaded. They chased each other around and around the yard. Dragging up dirt and getting grass stains on their knees from where they fell. 

Hours passed by and they fell on the ground laughing, out of breath after their latest lap around the great big tree in the center of the yard. They stared up at the clouds that dotted the pink glowing sky. They laid next to each other, enjoying the silence.

"Brother?" The monster beside him questioned, Gaster turned his head to give his attention. 

"Yes?" Gaster waited a second before continuing "if this is about that last round, I won that fair and square and you know it-"

"No, its not that" Gaster kept his head turned towards his brother, waiting for him to speak again. "Have you ever thought of getting out of here? you know leaving and finding our own way?" watching the clouds looked to be more interesting than returning Gaster's gaze.

"What? No! I mean maybe but we couldn't !" He shot up into a sitting position. "Father would never allow it! " 

"Thats just it" His brother’s eyes met his excited "he would never know!! we'd save up money, take some food, and leave in the middle of the night ! while he's dead drunk!" 

Gaster was unsure of his brother’s plan, Going against his father? Whats next sliced bread? He really didn't like the thought of just up and leaving. who would care for Father? Who would care for them? His brother was too young to get a job and gaster..HA. He'd be taken for a joke. They would starve. Maybe thats what his brother wanted. He'd rather they starve than stay another minute with their father... Thinking about it a second time and then a third Maybe it wasn't such a bad plan after all. He'd obviously been taking too long with his decision because once he was ready to voice his opinion he heard a click, the gun cock and the trigger was pulled. Gaster flinched, his arms covered his face. Once he realized he was still alive he knocked his brother over the head with his closed fist.

"WHATS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Gaster could see red "YOU KNOW NOT TO DO THAT!" Gaster continued to scold his brother.

"Its fine" he chuckled, One hand under his head propping it up. The other waving the hand gun around, finger sat comfortably on the trigger. "Its not even loaded see?" he slung the barrel of the gun up to Gaster's forehead, between his eyes and held if there, as if to create suspense.

"D-DON'T" Gaster slapped it away just as the trigger was pulled and air was forced down the barrel. Still, there was no bullet. 

"I TOLD YOU " His brother held his gut, rolling form side to side laughing. Gaster watched tears stream down his face in his mirth. 

"Brother I would feel better if we put it away now" he insisted, trying to pull the gun from his brother’s hand. In return his brother pulled back.

"Theres nothing in here" he closed one eye to look down the barrel of the gun. 

"HEY!" their father bellowed, trudging up the front lawn and down the side of the house towards the boys. "WHAT ON THIS GREEN EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY SECOND HAND?" 

Obviously already drunk the boys jumped apart, Gaster to his feet and his brother to his knees. The gun gripped tightly in his small hands. 

"We was just playing" Gasters brother spoke bravely "thought we could use this one since you got that one on your side." 

The gun on their father's hip was nodded at but not acknowledged afterwards. The gun in the older child's hand was fought over by the taller child and their father. The gun came lose and seemingly fell into their father's hands after the loud shot that rang through the wooded area. Gaster stood in shock. His brother sat, not moving, with a hole in his head that went in through his eye and came out the back of his head. Gaster could see his father through the hole in his brother's head. His father watched as his eldest son turn to dust faster than he could count by 20s but to the small child it felt like time slowed. The birds had stopped singing and the trees stopped swaying. Soon enough a pile of dust sat between them on the ground. 

Gaster hadn't a clue on what to do. Did he stand there and cry? Sobbing until the dust fluttered away with the wind? Or did he run? He knew it sounded selfish but with his brother gone there would be no one to feed him, to love him. He knew that without his brother there would be no one to hide him from his father. He could faintly feel the lashings of previous beatings burn on his back. Without his brother, he might die if he stayed. 

Both he and his father stood stock still, neither moving until they'd made eye contact. It was then that Gaster knew he needed to get out. He ran at his father, pushing the drunk over and grabbing the half loaded gun that his brother previously held. With his knife on his side and the ratty shoes on his feet he ran into the woods behind his house. He didn't stop to pull up his pants that were falling down his hips or to take a breath, even though his body begged him to or to choke back the sob he so desperately needed to to keep running. Dry sobs and breathlessness were nothing compared to the fear he felt moments after he entered the woods.

Shots were being fired off behind him. They echoed into the nearing midnight black sky, one managed to graze his shirt sleeve tearing the threading open slightly. He dared not fire back with the limited amount of ammo he had, his father was a terrible shot in the dark anyway. 

He continued to run until he found a tree slightly uprooted, the roots of the pulled up tree creating some sort of cubby hole. Big enough for him to get in and maybe the tangled mess of roots would hide him until morning.

He slept peacefully, waking the next day to birds singing their tunes and small animals feeding without a care in the world. Gaster watched the small rabbits and squirrels plays for some time, hoping that his father would be long gone. He decided not disturb the small animals sense of peace and moved on towards where he thought town was without hunting. Walking through the woods worn down the soles of his shoes, he wanted to toss them, though he was grateful he chose to wear them at all the day before. 

He came on a road before he found a town. He had two choices, left or right. And while he had no coin to flip to make the choice for him he chose what his brother wold choose. The complete opposite of whatever Gaster wanted. He looked both left and right before finally deciding that left was the way he was going to walk. Time pasted, and then some more and Gaster found himself walking down a very dark and muddy road. His shoes soaked through and his clothes dirtied from yesterdays mishaps. HE heard a car making its way slowly down the road behind him. Knowing his father didn't have a car there was no reason for him to look back. The car did however stop a good 30 feet before him, the owner of the car turned their head and adressed him.

"Hey you" The human man pointed back through the misting night.

"Me?" Gaster answered back unintelligently, pointing to himself.

"No the guy behind you" The man sighed and waved the child over. "What are you doing out in the cold like this?"

"I-I've run away, sir. My father he--"

"Yes yes thats well and good, but can you read?" The man waved away the childs problems in place of his own question.

"A little sir, I left to take care of the house for my father" The man scoffed and patted the passenger seat beside him.

"Ah well, nothing a bit of tutoring can't fix" The man turned over the car once more, but didnt change gears to move "Didn't your father tell you never to get in a car with strangers?" The man threw a strange look at the young monster.

"Oh yes sir, but you have to be better than him" The hope shined bright in the small ones eyes. The tall one 'Harumphd' 

"I just hope you like the acoustic resonance theory" The man snorted and shifted gears, the car groaned and chugged its way back into town. "See this guy over in the UK is trying to prove this theory, and I'm gonna get to it first! HA! that'll show him!" 

Gaster's eyes would never be brighter.

**Author's Note:**

> March 15, 2018


End file.
